Microsoft expands patent protection program

Last year, Microsoft announced the new Azure IP Advantage program through which Microsoft will use its patent portfolio to help protect its cloud customers from patent suits. If sued, eligible Azure customers can acquire one of 10,000 patents that Microsoft will make available to help counter-assert against an aggressor.

Microsoft yesterday announced that they are expanding Azure IP Advantage program to Azure Stack customers. Customers use Azure Stack to rely on a consistent set of services and APIs to run their applications in a hybrid cloud environment. Azure IP Advantage IP protection benefits now cover customers consistently in the hybrid cloud.

Microsoft’s Azure IP Advantage portfolio has been ranked among the top 3 cloud patent portfolios worldwide. They Azure customers can also rely on a royalty-free springing license to protect them in case Microsoft transfers a patent to a non-practicing entity.